not that anyone might remember but in the winter i had a very large doghouse, but my dog won't go in it. so i sold it and bought a nice smaller one. it has been raining for 2 days and she prefers to lay on the muddy ground instead of the nice warm and dry doghouse, what is wrong with her? the other day it was warm and sunny and she went in the doghouse, so go figure. she is the opposite of me i guess. i have her blanket in there as well, i just can't win. any sugguestions, or is this evan normal? i think she's wacked! i might as well sell this one too and save my money.

Tammy,
Don't worry you are not alone my boy absolutely refuses to use his dog house <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mad.gif" alt="" /> ! Rain, snow it doesn't matter to him, he sits out in it. I worried about him and my vet said sooner or later he would go in it, whenever he got cold or wet enough....well he still hasn't used it. He does however use it as a wind block and sun block when he gets too warm-he just pushes it around where he wants it and then lays next to it. I tried to put blankets inside of it, he dragged them out, spread them out over the snow in and laid on them.

My daughters swing set is a wooden one, which has a huge enclosed sandbox in one part of it. I tied him one of the posts(it is cemented in) and low and behold he will go in there but it also is as wide as he is long.....I guess he was just that finicky. He still likes to drag out anything that I put in there-I put an old outdoor sleeping bag in there, and he took it out, straightened it out and when I got home I found him laying on it basking in the sun! This dog Never ceses to amaze me and I have learned, don't ask, don't try to understand-just go with it. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

well she pushing her around same way to block sun and lays against it too. sat in snow all winter too. and dragged anything i tried to put in her house, she hasn't taken the blanket out of her new house yet, so that is a good sign. maybe it is an age thing too, my much older one appreciates her house, how old is your boy d? i do see i am fighting a losing battle, but it is so frustrated when i have to clean her up, long haired too, its the mud that is a pain, when you are trying to keep a clean house, don't even mention dog hair, i have learn to accept that one, long ago. LOL

My boy is a year old, but he loves the snow and puddles so much-he runs and then slides himself in the snow, runs through large puddles and jumps in smaller ones. When it rains out now or it is too muddy I put him in our 3 car insultated garage, just because I was so sick of loosing the battle. I know he is crazy-one day he got up and sat on top of the table with our cats-I didn't know what to do but laugh-it was the first and last time he has ever done that, and thank goodness there was nothing on the table-well except for two cats and the boy. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" /> Anyone who doesn't own a Shepherd in my opinion is missing out <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

Tammy,Have you tried using straw in the dog house? Blankets tend to freeze in the winter. Plus,unlike a blanket,straw is difficult to grap and drag.